Video: 'The Beatles Photoshoot In Central Park, New York, USA - NBC News (Raw Footage) - 8 February 1964

(Saturday, February 8, 1964, early afternoon EST) — Following an interview with Syracuse DJ Bud Ballou for WOLF-AM via telephone from New York’s Plaza Hotel (where the English rock music band was staying), John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr of The Beatles went for a walk and photo opportunity in Central Park early this afternoon, where their every move was followed by around 400 female fans.

George Harrison was suffering from a streptococcal sore throat, and so remained in the Plaza. He was joined there by his sister Louise Caldwell, a resident of Illinois (while convalescing, George agreed to be interviewed via telephone by newsman Ed Rudy, Jack Diamond of WSPR-AM in Springfield, Massachusetts).

Video: 'The Beatles Photoshoot In Central Park, New York, USA - Maysles Brothers Footage - 8 February 1964'

John, Paul, and Ringo posed over and over with their arms spread wide (“Do it once more!” Ringo: “I haven’t stopped!”), pointing at the sky (“Hey, Beatles! Where do the birds fly?”) and shouting while standing on rocks at the edge of a lake.

They enjoyed a lunch of cheeseburgers and malted milks at a boathouse café.

More film was shot outside the boathouse, as Paul decided to “reintroduce” his Pepsi transistor radio for the sake of continuity.

Video: 'The Beatles Arrive In New York + Central Park - UI News - 8 February 1964' (Feb. 8, 1964, at 0:50)

In the back of the limo, filming continued with squad car 654 escorting John, Paul, and Ringo to CBS Studio 50 for a 1:30 p.m. rehearsal of The Ed Sullivan Show (they also took a quick trip through Harlem, but were disappointed at being unable to get out and explore the Apollo Theater).

Paul tuned in to WINS and heard plugs for a “Battle of the Beatles” and the documentary Meet the Beatles, airing the following evening at 7 p.m. The ad promised a recording of the Beatles “reading their own poetry,” which baffles Paul: “We ain’t writ no poetry.”

Of course, John had, and the WINS documentary would include a 1963 tape of his recitation of “The Neville Club” from the Dateline London interview.

Video: 'The Beatles Limo Journey To CBS TV Studios For Ed Sullivan Rehearsal - 8 February 1964'

Paul also talked back to a Kent cigarette ad touting the “Micronite Filter.”

“Marvelous radio over here,” muses Ringo.

As they approach the studio, their cars were charged by fans, and mounted police were forced to intervene to keep order.

Video: 'THE AMERICAN TOUR WITH ED RUDY The Beatles' (Feb. 8, 1964, interview with George Harrison at 20:00)

As the car stopped momentarily, a group of girls runs up and pounds at the window, shrieking and waving. Paul is flirtatious (“Hi, girls!”), but John worries how they’ll get in the building and suggests making a dash for it.

Ten mounted police guarded the studios along with 52 officers while The Beatles were inside.

Their first duty was to join AFRA, the American equivalent of the Musicians’ Union.

Video: 'George Harrison and Ringo Starr at Plaza hotel on the radio with Murray the K, February 1964.'

For the rehearsal Beatles’ aide Neil Aspinall stood in for George, as did Sullivan production assistant Vince Calandra, while the director rehearsed the camera positions for the following day’s broadcast.

Afterwards The Beatles asked to see a playback of their rehearsal, which no other musical act had previously asked for.

George’s illness didn’t keep him down for long. By afternoon’s end, he was well enough to travel to the CBS studio to pose for publicity photos with the Beatles and Ed Sullivan.

Video: 'NY DJ Murray The K Interviews George Harrison - 2/9/64'

Around 4 p.m., he went to a suite at the Savoy-Hilton where a representative of the Rickenbacker guitar company sold him one of their first twelve-string electric guitars.

The Beatles spent a couple of hours this evening participating in Murray the K’s live Swingin’ Soiree show, requesting and announcing records and generally acting loony.

During that program, Lennon, McCartney and Starr left the Plaza (Harrison stayed behind and continued to talk to Murray the K) and went to the 21 restaurant with the band’s record producer, George Martin, and executives from Capitol Records. The Beatles ate chops while their music industry companions had pheasant.